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Thousands of Gacaca judges undergo trainingBy Hirondelle News Agency Training of over 5,000 judges elected to preside over Rwanda’s semi-traditional genocide courts ended its third week last Friday. The courts, known as Gacaca (Kinyarwanda for grass), were set up three years ago to speed up trials of over 100,000 genocide suspects. However, judges elected to the courts are not required to have any legal training or formal education. All that is considered is the moral integrity of a candidate. The system is based on traditional Rwandan courts presided over by community elders. The current training lasts for four days and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. This is the second lot of training that each judge has undergone since they were elected. The first sessions, carried out two years ago, lasted six days each. Some observers have criticized the length of the training programmes as too short for people expected to handle genocide cases. "We think this is enough in the context of our means", spokesperson for the National Service for Gacaca Jurisdictions (NSGJ), Charles Kayitana told Hirondelle. "We opted for Gacaca because we didn’t have the people and the money to run a conventional system. You should also remember that the people will sit on trials of crimes allegedly committed in their area. These judges know and witnessed most of the events" Kayitana’s remarks were echoed by judges undergoing training at a small primary school in the village of Ruyenzi in Gitarama. "We lived through the genocide. We witnessed most of the events", said Chantal Niyitegeka, a judge at nearby Kigabiro Gacaca court. "All we need is a little training on Gacaca law and procedures", she added. "I will leave this place ready to take on a trial", said Jean-Damascène Ngerageze, presiding judge at the Kigabiro court. Besides ongoing and previous training programmes, Gacaca judges will be given brief lessons in Gacaca law, human rights and the handling of rape cases after the beginning of the trials. No date yet for Gacaca sessions Meanwhile, NSGJ spokesperson Kayitana said that no date has been set for the September start of Gacaca sessions. "All we can say now is that the sessions will open sometime in September. We still have a few budget and staff issues at the headquarters to settle before announcing a date’. Since its launch three years ago, Gacaca has been marred by numerous postponements of virtually every stage of the process.
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